Myrrh

• Myrrh is a natural gum extracted from the small and thorny Commiphora tree.
• It was used as an ingredient in Roman Perfume, Incense and in Medicine.

Description

• The tree forms a resin that oozes through the part of the bark that is damaged.
• It is harvested by deliberately forming breaks in the bark and collecting the oozing resin.
• Myrrh trees originate in the Arabian Peninsular and in Ethiopia.

Incense Road

• Myrrh, along with Frankincense and Cinnamon, were brought into the Mediterranean along the Incense Road, which ran parallel to the Red Sea from the Yemen to Gaza.

Queen Hatshepsut

• Queen Hatsepshut, Pharaoh of Egypt (c.1479-1458 BCE), sent a fleet of 5 ships to the Land of Punt, which returned with Myrrh and Frankincense.
• This expedition was recorded on the walls of Hatshepsut’s Temple at the Deir ei-Bahari complex of Mortuary Temples.
• The Land of Punt has not been confirmed but was probably Somalia, where Myrrh and Frankincense were grown.

Roman Perfume

• Roman Perfume was widely used by the Ancient Egyptians, the Ancient Greeks and across the Roman Empire.
• Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, was associated with Perfume.
• The Temples used large quantities of perfume as Incense and often had perfume workshops nearby.
• The Romans used Perfumes in their Bathhouses.
• Perfume was also worn by Royal Families, the Aristocracy and by Politicians.
• Perfumes were used in Medicine.